Even though the (true) national unemployment rate is around 20%, there are still summer job openings available for high schoolers and college students. Have you landed one yet? Maybe a better question would be: Have you even started looking for one yet? If your answer to either question is "No!" then let me suggest an interesting resource for you: SummerJobs.com.
The site proclaims, "Surf for the Perfect Summer Job:
SummerJobs.com offers summer jobs and seasonal staff positions with camps, amusement parks, resorts, national parks, hotels, environmental organizations and more." I wish I had had this kind of tool available to me when I was in high school. Of course, even if computers were available to me back then they would have been useless, since the invention of electricity was still years away.
And, even though in a previous post I noted what some experts view as a depressed summer-job market, SummerJobs.com offers reason for optimism. Lets take a look at what you'll find there.
It looks like SummerJobs.com makes at least some of its revenue from the companies that sign up to have their job openings posted there. Here are a few examples:
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Plus, if your geographic location is convenient, you can take advantage of ads like this one:
Here at Universal Orlando®, we do the extraordinary every day. We show our guests how to have a great time, all while having an unforgettable experience of our own. Join us this summer in a full-time, part-time or seasonal position, and you'll see that our jobs are far from ordinary. Apply online at www.UniversalOrlandoJobs.com and be part of the thrills and excitement!
The best feature of the site, in my opinion, is the search engine. You can search by job type, location, employer, and some other criteria, all of which are explained in the helpful search instructions. For example, I searched for "camp counselor" and got these "12 of 500" results:
| Job Title | Employer | Location | Industry | Date Posted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Camp Counselor | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Camping, Sports and Recreation | 05/17/2010 |
| Music - summer camp counselor | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Arts, Entertainment, and Media, Camping, Sports and Recreation | 04/30/2010 |
| Baseball - summer camp counselor | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Camping, Sports and Recreation | 04/30/2010 |
| Soccer - summer camp counselor | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Camping, Childcare, Sports and Recreation | 05/17/2010 |
| Ceramics - summer camp counselor | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Arts, Entertainment, and Media, Camping | 05/17/2010 |
| LACROSSE Summer Camp Counselor Needed | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Camping, Sports and Recreation | 05/17/2010 |
| Photography - summer camp counselor | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Arts, Entertainment, and Media, Camping | 05/17/2010 |
| Journalism - summer camp counselor | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Arts, Entertainment, and Media, Camping | 04/30/2010 |
| Teach Woodworking - summer camp counselor | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Arts, Entertainment, and Media, Camping | 05/17/2010 |
| Flag Football - summer camp counselor | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Camping, Sports and Recreation | 05/07/2010 |
| Secretarial - summer camp counselor | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Administrative and Support Services, Camping | 05/17/2010 |
| Roller Hockey - summer camp counselor | Camp Takajo | Naples, ME, United States | Camping, Sports and Recreation | 05/17/2010 |
Then, I clicked the "By Location" option and got this:
| Job Title | Employer | Location | Industry | Date Posted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Assistant at Kulik Lodge | Katmailand, Inc. | Katmai National Park, AK, United States | Hotel, Resort or Lodge | 03/15/2010 |
| Camp Assistant at Brooks Lodge | Katmailand, Inc. | Katmai National Park, AK, United States | Agriculture, Forestry, & Fishing, Building and Grounds Maintenance, Camping, Customer Service and Call Center, Entertainment, Environmental, Hospitality/Tourism, Hotel, Resort or Lodge, National Park, Other, Restaurant and Food Service, Sports and Recreation, Transportation and Warehousing | 03/15/2010 |
| Manager / Guide at Grosvenor Lodge | Katmailand, Inc. | Katmai National Park, AK, United States | Agriculture, Forestry, & Fishing, Camping, Entertainment, Environmental, Hospitality/Tourism, Hotel, Resort or Lodge, Management, National Park, Other, Restaurant and Food Service, Retail/Wholesale, Sports and Recreation | 03/15/2010 |
| Camp Cook / Lodge Keeper at Grosvenor Lodge | Katmailand, Inc. | Katmai National Park, AK, United States | Agriculture, Forestry, & Fishing, Camping, Entertainment, Environmental, Hospitality/Tourism, Hotel, Resort or Lodge, Management, National Park, Other, Restaurant and Food Service, Retail/Wholesale, Sports and Recreation | 03/15/2010 |
| Camp Director - Tempe | iD Tech Camp | Arizona State University, AZ, United States | Camping, Childcare, Computers, Software, Education, Training, and Library, Health and Safety, Hospitality/Tourism | 03/15/2010 |
| Camp Instructor - Tempe | iD Tech Camp | Arizona State University, AZ, United States | Arts, Entertainment, and Media, Camping, Computers, Hardware, Computers, Software, Education, Training, and Library, Health and Safety | 03/15/2010 |
| Camp Director - California | iD Tech Camp | Multiple Locations, CA, United States | Camping, Childcare, Computers, Software, Education, Training, and Library, Health and Safety, Hospitality/Tourism | 03/15/2010 |
| Camp Instructor - California | iD Tech Camp | Multiple Locations, CA, United States | Arts, Entertainment, and Media, Camping, Computers, Hardware, Computers, Software, Education, Training, and Library, Health and Safety | 03/15/2010 |
| Creative Writing Instructor - A Great Job for Writers and/or Teachers - $600/wk - Lekha School of Creative Writing | Lekha School of Creative Writing - Lekha Publishers LLC. | San Jose, CA, United States | Arts, Entertainment, and Media, Childcare, Education, Training, and Library, Other, Publishing | 05/03/2010 |
| Summer Camp Staff | Colorado Mountain Ranch | Boulder - Gold Hill, CO, United States | Camping, Childcare, Education, Training, and Library, Environmental, Nonprofit, Sports and Recreation | 04/30/2010 |
| Camp Director - Colorado | iD Tech Camp | Colorado State University & University of Denver, CO, United States | Camping, Childcare, Computers, Software, Education, Training, and Library, Health and Safety, Hospitality/Tourism | 03/15/2010 |
| Camp Instructor - Colorado | iD Tech Camp | Colorado State University & University of Denver, CO, United States | Arts, Entertainment, and Media, Camping, Computers, Hardware, Computers, Software, Education, Training, and Library, Health and Safety | 03/15/2010 |
Again, these are the first dozen of 500 listings. This is a quite helpful search process, which can really drill down to specifics for you.
Bottom line: SummerJobs.com appears ready and able to deliver a summer job for you. Go get one!
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Be sure to check out all my admissions-related articles and book reviews at College Confidential.